Always
by OnlyBandit
Summary: They may change over the years, but they would always be a team.


**Ok, so this is a different take on how team seven was formed. It will follow the same basic storyline as the anime, but some parts will have major differences. **

**WARNING: characters may seem OOC. This story involves a dark/Sakura, smart-ish/Naruto and caring/Sasuke.**

**Disclaimer: I own the story, not the characters...**

Kakashi didn't think much of them the first time they met. They were just three hungry little kids, too suspicious to tell their names but trusting enough to accept his food. He fed them only because they were so thin, so weak, that they looked as though the very wind would blow them over.

They sat quietly and ate the offered food, not seeming to care that Kakashi was still with them. Their small group consisted of two boys and a girl and, thanks to his training, Kakashi was able to tell quite a lot about them without needing them to talk to him.

Their obvious leader was the black haired boy, who was the tallest of the group and also the one who had first approached Kakashi. He wasn't sitting, relaxed, like the other two; instead simply kneeling so as to make a quick getaway, his dark eyes darting around to search for danger between bites.

Between him and the other boy, who reminded Kakashi of his deceased sensei and was sitting crossed legged, slouching over the soup he was currently devouring, sat the single girl of the group. Her hair was long and pink, with thick bangs covering her eyes and the group seemed to revolve around her; even though all they were doing was eating, both boys were positioned so they could protect her in a moment's notice.

All three of them were wearing similar clothing – dark blue shirts and pants, which looked sizes too big, making Kakashi lean towards the fact that the clothing was stolen.

Neither party spoke much during that first meeting; the only voice Kakashi heard was when the dark haired boy had first approached him in search of food. Kakashi himself had only spoken long enough to try asking them questions, none of which they answered; so he soon fell silent.

**-/-/-**

The next time Kakashi saw them was later in that same day. He was quick to realise that the children were following him; their clumsy attempts to keep up made their, and indirectly his, location painfully obvious. So he was forced to confront them.

He demanded to know why they were following him, taking on a threatening persona seeing as his originally softer approach gained him nothing but glares.

This time, it was the energetic blonde who spoke, apparently much to the fear and disappointment of the other two, who tried desperately to shut him up.

Kakashi learnt that the boy's name was Naruto –Naruto Uzamaki- and that his dream was to become a great ninja. Kakashi was now certain that this was the forgotten son of his deceased sensei; the victimised holder of the nine tailed fox. The boy, Naruto, went on to say how he always wanted to join a ninja village and receive training from the best; apparently, he thought the best was Kakashi.

Kakashi had to admit that the child's utter adoration was a boost for his ego. So, impressed by their confidence and loyalty to one another, Kakashi agreed to train them for the week as they accompanied him back to Konoha. The dark haired boy was stubbornly positive that they would part ways once they reached the village, and that the week training would have to sate Naruto's thirst for knowledge.

Naruto didn't seem too pleased about this fact, but agreed to it once the girl reminded him that they couldn't trust ninja villages. Kakashi was sure that this had everything to do with who these children were; seeing as one of them was hosting the very beast Konoha had been searching for these past seven years.

**-/-/-**

They were three days into their trip before Kakashi learnt the girl's name: Sakura Haruno. She was the last of her kind, coming from a small, but feared, clan that had been spread throughout the countries and eventually killed. She was positive that her first name was not the name her parents had given her, but it was the only one she remembered, having been called it her entire life. Kakashi was almost certain that her name was nothing more than a fearful jibe at her clan's abilities, which Sakura herself was yet to show she possessed.

He was yet to learn the name of their young leader, and it seemed neither Sakura nor Naruto would give it away until the boy wanted them to.

Kakashi was astounded by their unwavering loyalty towards each other and, even with the limited history they had told him, he was sure they'd only had each other to rely on for a very long time. It was the little things they did that gave away how well they would function as a team.

The most obvious was their loyalty: that, no matter how Kakashi tried to coax and entice them, neither child would give him the name of their leader, whose commands they followed without question and who they looked to for reassurance every time Kakashi handed them a test of some sort.

Then there was their peculiar sleeping pattern. Both boys would fall straight to sleep, lying on either side of Sakura, who would keep watch for the first few hours. After her watch was over, all she had to do was lay down and gently take the dark haired boy's blanket, and he was up and taking the next watch. The same thing happened during the transition between his watch and Naruto's. They were flawless as a team, needing no words to communicate as one always moved effortlessly to pick up where the other left off.

**-/-/-**

They were orphans; Kakashi was certain of that by the fifth day. It was on this day that he finally decided to put their teamwork to the test.

'You'll have to work for your food today,' he told them, holding up two bells. 'Try taking these off me.'

He explained the rules, how only two of them would be eating that night, how they would have to come at him with the intent to kill if they ever hoped of winning. Then he told them to go, to put to good use all the training he had given them.

They had come a long way in five short days; now able to hide so perfectly that even Kakashi couldn't pick them apart from the surrounding forestry. He found Naruto though; the blonde thought that stealth was below him, so instead he stood in the centre of the clearing, challenging Kakashi to a one-on-one fight.

Kakashi didn't think the boy could do much –he hadn't had time to start teaching them jutsu's yet- so he was surprised when Naruto pulled of a perfect shadow clone jutsu, the sheer number of his clones attributing to the fact that he was indeed the nine tails host.

However, even while facing off against twenty perfect imitations of Naruto, Kakashi still quickly gained the upper hand. He was puzzled as to where Naruto had learned to create shadow clones, for it was a secret technique known only to the Hokage.

Unfortunately, it seemed that Kakashi hadn't quite taught Naruto enough, as he was quick to catch the boy in an undisguised and obvious trap. A simple rope connected Naruto's foot to the tree, hanging him upside down as Kakashi lectured him on the importance of never going for obvious bait. While he was doing this, he intentionally let his guard down to find the others.

It wasn't long before one of them took the bait, hitting Kakashi with a handful of shuriken as he executed the substitution jutsu and headed for the one who had thrown the weapons –which Kakashi himself had supplied them with for the purpose of this lesson.

Kakashi was sure that it was their fearless little leader who had thrown the shuriken, yet it was Sakura who he found first. The girl was crouching behind some bushes in a vain attempt to hide and so Kakashi, wanting to test her abilities, snuck up on the little pinkette.

She noticed him only after he alerted her to his presence, and let out a high pitched screech of surprise. Kakashi froze in place as the pinkette's body exploded into thousands of tiny cherry blossom petals, which floated safely over his head. Sakura materialised once more, standing behind the two boys who had come running at the sound of her cry.

Working together, it wasn't long before the three had successfully overpowered Kakashi and taken the bells from him.

They were definitely the first team Kakashi had ever _wanted _to train, despite the fact that they weren't even officially ninja. Their need to put each other before themselves made itself clear when, after threatening to harm the dark haired boy and Sakura, who had received the bells, if they fed Naruto that night, they still managed to give the blonde the majority of their food when they felt Kakashi wasn't looking.

**-/-/-**

Kakashi didn't give them anymore training after day five, and now they were standing only a half hour away from the large gates of Konoha.

He said a polite goodbye, giving his signature two-fingered wave over his shoulder as he walked away, wondering if he would miss these children or not. He heard some form of commotion behind him, but pretended not to notice as he felt the orphans hesitantly step after him.

'My name is Sasuke Uchiha,'

Kakashi smiled under his mask, stalling to wait for his first official Genin team to catch up.

**What do you think? Be honest, but not brutally so; this is my first fic after all.**

**To those of you who haven't guessed it yet, you probably soon will. And if you don't, that's ok, because I'm about to tell you anyway :).. this fanfic was based off the story of the three Ame orphans: Yahiko, Konan and Nagato. Their childhood was so sad and beautiful and I just couldn't help but wonder what team seven would do in a similar situation.**

**Anyways, this first chapter was just to give you a taste of the story, as well as give an insight as to how Kakashi met them. The next chapter will hopefully be up later this week and will be based mere hours after where this one left off.**

**R&R, be critical but nice,**

**~Bandit**


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